I wonder how many Porsche 911s you'll see driving around without a wheel in Mount Vernon, Skagit County or Everett, Snohomish County!
SEATTLE -- It wasn't a tough call for a Washington State Patrol trooper to pull over a downtown Seattle driver in a Porsche 911 that lacked a right rear tire. Pedestrians on the sidewalk stopped and stared as the car went by, making a loud grinding noise amid a shower of sparks.
When stopped, the 62-year-old Seattle man at the wheel informed the trooper that his transmission was going out. No, the trooper said, that's not the problem.
State Patrol spokesman Trooper Dan McDonald says the driver asked the trooper who stopped him whether he was a mechanic or a cop? The trooper showed the man his right rear wheel -- sans tire -- and his right front tire -- completely flat. At that point the driver declared the car had been fine when he left the house of friends.
McDonald said James A. Stephenson was arrested Tuesday for investigation of DUI.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
State Patrol believes State Toxicology DUIs - but seriously, should we start to believe them now?
By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter
The State Patrol, which has come under fire for problems with evidence handling at the state toxicology lab, is contacting 130 people who received drunken-driving citations that were based on faulty breath tests, lab Manager Kevin Jones said Thursday.
Jones said the letters were being sent as part of the lab's efforts to improve its handling of evidence and breath-test analysis in the wake of three critical audits and a scathing ruling last month by a panel of King County judges that called for the suppression of the tests used to gauge level of intoxication.
The letters explain the errors and how they occurred, and recommends that recipients contact their attorney.
Some of those who are being sent letters already may have served a sentence or received license suspensions, said Bob Calkins, State Patrol spokesman. Eight letters already have been mailed.
"We're contacting the Department of Licensing and fully disclosing this," Calkins said. "There's not much else we can do at this point."
The Washington State Toxicology Lab, overseen by the State Patrol, has been sharply criticized for its handling of breath tests and for scientific and ethical lapses. A panel of King County District Court judges said the lab and its leadership created a "culture of compromise" with so many "ethical lapses, systemic inaccuracy, negligence and violations of scientific principles" that the breath tests should not be used as evidence in pending DUI cases.
The State Patrol's audit team issued a critical report in August, and independent audits followed in September and October by forensic scientists.
Jones on Thursday led a media tour of the South Seattle lab and spoke about the strides the lab has taken in recent months to improve its testing practices.
Of some 39 recommendations by auditors, 23 have been implemented, Jones said, including improvements in how evidence is handled. Access to the evidence room is now limited, and there's a system to document who has handled evidence.
He said an ethanol-and-water solution that forms the basis for breath-testing in the field is mixed in the lab, as before, but is now checked three times for a precise consistency before it's used. Handling and preparation of the solution was criticized in the judges' findings.
One audit team reviewed about 300 cases and found 10 errors, but none that made a difference in an individual case, Jones said. In several, the tests were done correctly but the result was expressed in the wrong units.
Calkins likened it to measuring a driveway and recording the distance in yards rather than feet. Additional peer review and changing computer defaults are expected to correct the problem.
The lab also has improved its recording of test results to ensure they are accurately listed and have the appropriate peer review. Employees at the lab are also going through extra training, including on ethics.
Jones, who became manager in August, doesn't agree with the judges' findings and said the lab does not have a "culture of compromise." He said lab employees are hardworking and highly ethical. "This lab was not doing anything unusual that's not done by other labs across the country," he said.
Ted Vosk, one of the defense attorneys who successfully argued in favor of suppressing breath-test results, said it's too soon to claim all is well at the lab.
The lab needs to meet the accreditation standards of the American Society of Crime Lab Director/Laboratory Accreditation Bureau, which has rigorous certification standards, Vosk said. Jones said the lab hopes to apply for accreditation this year.
In the meantime, the findings by the King County judges are becoming known throughout the state, and prosecutors in some counties have quietly elected to suppress breath tests as evidence rather than use them in making cases.
So far, judges in King, Snohomish, Clark, Thurston and Spokane counties are among those to have declined to allow breath-test data processed before the departure of Ann Marie Gordon, former lab manager, in July 2007.
Gordon resigned after admitting she signed off on tests she had not done herself, which is against lab policy.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Seattle Times staff reporter
The State Patrol, which has come under fire for problems with evidence handling at the state toxicology lab, is contacting 130 people who received drunken-driving citations that were based on faulty breath tests, lab Manager Kevin Jones said Thursday.
Jones said the letters were being sent as part of the lab's efforts to improve its handling of evidence and breath-test analysis in the wake of three critical audits and a scathing ruling last month by a panel of King County judges that called for the suppression of the tests used to gauge level of intoxication.
The letters explain the errors and how they occurred, and recommends that recipients contact their attorney.
Some of those who are being sent letters already may have served a sentence or received license suspensions, said Bob Calkins, State Patrol spokesman. Eight letters already have been mailed.
"We're contacting the Department of Licensing and fully disclosing this," Calkins said. "There's not much else we can do at this point."
The Washington State Toxicology Lab, overseen by the State Patrol, has been sharply criticized for its handling of breath tests and for scientific and ethical lapses. A panel of King County District Court judges said the lab and its leadership created a "culture of compromise" with so many "ethical lapses, systemic inaccuracy, negligence and violations of scientific principles" that the breath tests should not be used as evidence in pending DUI cases.
The State Patrol's audit team issued a critical report in August, and independent audits followed in September and October by forensic scientists.
Jones on Thursday led a media tour of the South Seattle lab and spoke about the strides the lab has taken in recent months to improve its testing practices.
Of some 39 recommendations by auditors, 23 have been implemented, Jones said, including improvements in how evidence is handled. Access to the evidence room is now limited, and there's a system to document who has handled evidence.
He said an ethanol-and-water solution that forms the basis for breath-testing in the field is mixed in the lab, as before, but is now checked three times for a precise consistency before it's used. Handling and preparation of the solution was criticized in the judges' findings.
One audit team reviewed about 300 cases and found 10 errors, but none that made a difference in an individual case, Jones said. In several, the tests were done correctly but the result was expressed in the wrong units.
Calkins likened it to measuring a driveway and recording the distance in yards rather than feet. Additional peer review and changing computer defaults are expected to correct the problem.
The lab also has improved its recording of test results to ensure they are accurately listed and have the appropriate peer review. Employees at the lab are also going through extra training, including on ethics.
Jones, who became manager in August, doesn't agree with the judges' findings and said the lab does not have a "culture of compromise." He said lab employees are hardworking and highly ethical. "This lab was not doing anything unusual that's not done by other labs across the country," he said.
Ted Vosk, one of the defense attorneys who successfully argued in favor of suppressing breath-test results, said it's too soon to claim all is well at the lab.
The lab needs to meet the accreditation standards of the American Society of Crime Lab Director/Laboratory Accreditation Bureau, which has rigorous certification standards, Vosk said. Jones said the lab hopes to apply for accreditation this year.
In the meantime, the findings by the King County judges are becoming known throughout the state, and prosecutors in some counties have quietly elected to suppress breath tests as evidence rather than use them in making cases.
So far, judges in King, Snohomish, Clark, Thurston and Spokane counties are among those to have declined to allow breath-test data processed before the departure of Ann Marie Gordon, former lab manager, in July 2007.
Gordon resigned after admitting she signed off on tests she had not done herself, which is against lab policy.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
No More Honk for Vern Fonk for DUIs in Skagit, Snohomish, Island or King Counties?
If you have been charged with a DUI in Skagit, Island, Snohomish, King or any other county in Washington you are well aware that one of the consequences is a loss of license. If you do lose your license you're probably also aware that you will need "SR 22" insurance for three years. One of the insurance companies who deals with SR 22 insurance is Vern Fonk. Well, they have been sold! Read the article from komonews.com below.
Every time I run up Stone and pass Vern Fonk, 3919 Stone Way N., I think of their wacky ads and the slogan "Honk for Fonk."
The area agency, know for insuring folks with DUIs and checkered driving records, is no longer locally-owned. Shapoopie!
Confie Seguros, which specializes in the Hispanic market, announced today that it has acquired the company but will continue to use the catchy Vern Fonk name.
Shapoopi is a language everyone can understand.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Every time I run up Stone and pass Vern Fonk, 3919 Stone Way N., I think of their wacky ads and the slogan "Honk for Fonk."
The area agency, know for insuring folks with DUIs and checkered driving records, is no longer locally-owned. Shapoopie!
Confie Seguros, which specializes in the Hispanic market, announced today that it has acquired the company but will continue to use the catchy Vern Fonk name.
Shapoopi is a language everyone can understand.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Skagit County DUI Emphasis Patrols - getting ready for the Super Bowl
This report is many months old but is included as a warning for drivers this weekend. This weekend is Super Bowl weekend and there will be emphasis patrols (more officers who are specifically looking for drunk drivers) in Skagit County, Snohomish County, King County and Island County.
Skagit County, WA. Law enforcement throughout Skagit County will be on a mission to remove impaired drivers from the roadways between August 15 and September 1. Participating in this summer’s Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign are the Burlington and Swinomish Police Departments, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.
Although this is a special two week emphasis, extra DUI patrols have been taking place statewide since February 15, 2008, as part of a program called X52: Extra patrols, every week.
In Skagit County, with these additional DUI patrols, law enforcement stopped 490 motorists, and issued 146 citations, including arresting five DUIs. They also delivered 25 speeding citations, apprehended eight misdemeanor warrants and wrote many other infractions.
In Washington State, the number one factor contributing to traffic deaths is driver impairment. During 2007, traffic crashes killed 568 people on Washington’s roadways. Impaired driver-involved fatalities accounted for approximately 46 percent of the total deaths (263).
“Drunk or drugged driving remains the leading cause of death in traffic crashes. These preventable crashes can be eliminated if everyone works to become a part of the solution,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “As one who has knocked on doors at 3 am to deliver the worst news possible to a loved one, I strongly urge all Washington drivers to help make 2008 a safer year than we had during 2007.”
This Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign is important because during the summer months - July through September - Washington experiences the greatest concentration of drinking (or drugged) driver-involved traffic deaths (32 percent of the total impaired driver deaths occurred during the summer months between 1997-2006).
Another factor is the time of day that traffic deaths involving impaired drivers occur. In 2006, during the nighttime, drivers involved in deadly crashes were four times more likely to be drunk than during the day (36 percent versus nine percent). More than two-thirds (70%) of impaired driver-involved deaths occur during nighttime hours (6 pm to 6 am) in Washington.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission funds grants for X52, which is a part of Washington’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, also known as Target Zero. The goal of Target Zero is to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Skagit County, WA. Law enforcement throughout Skagit County will be on a mission to remove impaired drivers from the roadways between August 15 and September 1. Participating in this summer’s Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign are the Burlington and Swinomish Police Departments, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.
Although this is a special two week emphasis, extra DUI patrols have been taking place statewide since February 15, 2008, as part of a program called X52: Extra patrols, every week.
In Skagit County, with these additional DUI patrols, law enforcement stopped 490 motorists, and issued 146 citations, including arresting five DUIs. They also delivered 25 speeding citations, apprehended eight misdemeanor warrants and wrote many other infractions.
In Washington State, the number one factor contributing to traffic deaths is driver impairment. During 2007, traffic crashes killed 568 people on Washington’s roadways. Impaired driver-involved fatalities accounted for approximately 46 percent of the total deaths (263).
“Drunk or drugged driving remains the leading cause of death in traffic crashes. These preventable crashes can be eliminated if everyone works to become a part of the solution,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “As one who has knocked on doors at 3 am to deliver the worst news possible to a loved one, I strongly urge all Washington drivers to help make 2008 a safer year than we had during 2007.”
This Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign is important because during the summer months - July through September - Washington experiences the greatest concentration of drinking (or drugged) driver-involved traffic deaths (32 percent of the total impaired driver deaths occurred during the summer months between 1997-2006).
Another factor is the time of day that traffic deaths involving impaired drivers occur. In 2006, during the nighttime, drivers involved in deadly crashes were four times more likely to be drunk than during the day (36 percent versus nine percent). More than two-thirds (70%) of impaired driver-involved deaths occur during nighttime hours (6 pm to 6 am) in Washington.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission funds grants for X52, which is a part of Washington’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, also known as Target Zero. The goal of Target Zero is to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Skagit County man stole beer then arrested for Skagit County DUI
Reported from goskagit.com regarding a DUI subject late last year.
Law enforcement officials believed the same man who stole an 18-pack of beer from a Mount Vernon convenience store was arrested just an hour later for DUI in Skagit County. The man was driving a Honda with a white bumper. The Skagit County DUI suspect’s identity was confirmed by video surveillance at the store where the theft occurred. The man could face theft and DUI charges.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Law enforcement officials believed the same man who stole an 18-pack of beer from a Mount Vernon convenience store was arrested just an hour later for DUI in Skagit County. The man was driving a Honda with a white bumper. The Skagit County DUI suspect’s identity was confirmed by video surveillance at the store where the theft occurred. The man could face theft and DUI charges.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
Skagit County DUIs - Must I appear at all court dates?
If you have been charged with a Skagit County DUI you MUST appear for the preliminary court appearance (your first court appearance). You must also appear for every subsequent court appearance - unless your attorney has you completed a "waiver of presence." This document, when executed properly, will save you from going to all following Skagit County DUI court appearances unless the Judge demands you be there or there is a final disposition. This knowledge can save you a lot of valuable time and stress in your Skagit County DUI case.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
How to a Beat Skagit County DUI - Rule Number 1
If you have been charged with a DUI in Skagit County and wonder how you can defeat it, read on. Over the course of the next few weeks I will be blogging about the ways you can beat the DUI charge in Skagit County. However, the first thing I must address is what "beat" means. Defeating a DUI does not necessarily mean "dismissing" a DUI. Although our law firm does have many DUIs dismissed, it is rare and sometimes the product of luck, circumstance, or risk (ie. trial). The words "beat" or "defeat" in the DUI context means either dismissing or, more likely, amending (changing) the DUI charge to something less severe or harmful.
So, rule number 1 in "beating" a Skagit County DUI charge is understanding that the first goal is to end up with a result that is better than DUI.
Look for rule number 2 which will be posted tomorrow.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
So, rule number 1 in "beating" a Skagit County DUI charge is understanding that the first goal is to end up with a result that is better than DUI.
Look for rule number 2 which will be posted tomorrow.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com
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